Chromatology
by beautiful.intentions
Summary: Ferriswheelshipping from N's point of view. I hope to make this better than my last attempt by creating a more socially awkward, contemplative, N, and a silly, subtly flirtatious White. This should make for a few humorous situations!
1. Prologue

Is there someone that is so important to you that you can scarcely imagine what your life would be like if they had never graced it with their presence? If so, I am immensely envious of you, because I can envision exactly what my future would have been had I not met her, and it still frightens me to my core. She saved me, and there is no possible way for me to repay her in full for everything she has done.

There are roughly 7.3 billion people in this world, and using the probability formula to get the equation: P(A) = 1/7.3 billion, the odds of her appearing to me out of everyone are 1 in 7,300,000,000. If I were to get technical, I could also factor in the probability of the two of us being born in the same lifetime, of our parents coming together and conceiving us, and their parents, as well as everything else that involves us existing as we are now, in which case the value of the denominator would be countless infinities. I feel so prodigiously fortunate; everything right and good in my life has been a direct result of her.

A short time ago, I would have never thought myself capable of expressing such sentiment. I found it beneath me when in actuality it was too many leagues over my head for me to begin to fathom. It is so peculiar how someone can change you by no other means than being themselves. I still do not fully understand. Perhaps I never will, and

I am okay with that.

(AN: Review if you all would like to see more! This story will be from N's perspective, and will be during the events of Pokemon Black and White, though I will not follow the storyline very closely. This prologue is N looking back on the events that will take place in the fanfic, so it's from the future. Also, please don't call me out on my numbers, as I am so mathemagician thank you.)


	2. Fluke

_"Liberation is here! The savior of Pokémon is among us! Lord N!"  
_  
Variations of these cries echoed from the high ceiling and porcelain floor of the throne room as my father lowered the crown of Team Plasma to my head. This was the day of my coronation and, more importantly, prologue to the achievement of the ideal world that both Ghetsis and I envisioned.

I rose to my full height and turned slowly, the epitome of solemnity, to face my onlookers. The shining realization that these people were now counting on me to succeed filled me with an overwhelming sense of purpose. This was why I existed — to make black and white clearly distinct, thus allowing Pokémon to become perfect beings. My fists tightened at my side as I recalled my years spent in that room; the many Pokémon that had been my only constant companionship. Their hearts had been so tightly closed when they were brought to me. I couldn't imagine how many more like them there were in the world. I was doing this for them and for those who put their faith in me. Looking straight ahead, I trod past my teachers, who bore the title of sage. They all gave a slight bow.

The crown was heavy, but I wouldn't have to wear it much longer.

I exited the throne room, leaving behind the cheers and encouragements of my subordinates to seek the comfort of my dear friends. Zorua bounded happily up to me, practically radiating with energy.

_"Play!" _the little Pokémon expressed, tail waggling so furiously his whole rump was thrown into the action. This one was known for his boundless energy and tendency to stick his nose where it didn't belong. He wasn't always like that.

"You're going to trip me," I said, and scooped him up. "I'm sorry we can't play right now. We'll be leaving the castle soon. I have to get ready."

Zorua wriggled around playfully in my arms for a bit longer before nuzzling against me and going still. _"Friend." _

I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from going up in a smile.

After I changed into regular clothes, Ghetsis took me to a town by the name of Accumula. What an interesting name. Perhaps it is derivative of "accumulate" meaning "come together." If that was the vision of the founders of Accumula Town, then there was some irony in what we were doing here.

I turned my head to watch Ghetsis make his way to the town center, a solitary patch of greenery in the midst of the tiled plaza. Some grunts stood behind him, holding quires of paper. The speech was beginning.

"Trainers of Accumula," he started, in a booming voice that I was all too familiar with. That was the same voice I was scolded with as a child; a voice that demanded attention. Several people around me turned their heads in surprise and gave each other hesitant glances. Slowly, more trainers began to gather and the grunts distributed papers to them.

"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation. I doubt the idea has ever crossed your mind before, but let us consider this: Do Pokémon not have so much more potential than being our playthings? We humans have imposed our own will upon the creatures we like to think of as 'partners', and force them to fight their brothers in inane displays of prowess between us. How easy it is to say this relationship is a partnership when you are the one who shouts commands from the sideline and never get a scratch..." He had given me the same speech many times at the castle, and yet it still made my jaw clench. Humans had deluded themselves to believing they weren't using these wonderful creatures as slaves.

The sound of paper being ripped called my attention to a girl that was standing to my right. There were two people between us, but they were positioned in such a way that I had a clear view of her, two halves of a liberation flyer in each hand. The girl was of a slightly petite build with long, wavy brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her pink and white cap cast a shadow over her deep blue eyes that were incompatibly calm for her action. I watched as she proceeded to tear the paper into even smaller pieces and let them fall through the spaces between her fingers and the Tepig at her feet seared them to ash before they hit the ground. She giggled and lifted the Pokémon up, saying something to it that I could not hear. I continued to watch in fascination. _"Happy!" "Friend!"_ This was the voice of that Tepig's heart. How could a Pokémon say such things?

The girl's eyes flicked my direction, catching me looking. Then, to my bewilderment, she winked. I blinked and turned back to Ghetsis, but I could not concentrate on the speech. Instead my thoughts were wandering to the girl and her Tepig. Why did it seem so happy with her? I contemplated this until the end of Ghetsis's speech. While people were dispersing, I approached her. "Your Pokémon just now —"

"Excuse me, moderately attractive member of the female sex! Would you like to converse?" she interrupted, talking over me.

I always thought myself to have quite a formidable vocabulary. At this moment in particular I was rendered speechless for the first time in my life. I just stood there, stumbling for a response.

She arched a brow. "Are you alright? I was kidding, okay? Tell me what you want."

I started over. "During the speech, I couldn't help but notice you and your Tepig. It was saying such surprising things."

In a scoffing manner, she replied, "I wouldn't say 'surprising' so much as painfully boring and incredibly pretentious."

"I meant your Tepig, not the speech."

Her narrowed eyes told me that she was dubious. "You understood... what my _Tepig_ said."

"I see. You can't hear it either. How sad," I sighed, the slightest bit disillusioned with this girl that had drawn my attention. It was to be expected. Humans were, after all, too caught up in themselves to listen to Pokémon. "My name is N, and I am a trainer like you are, though I am doubtful as to whether Pokémon are happy like this."

She opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment a spectacled black-haired boy with an austere air about him joined us. "White, who is this?" the boy asked, giving me a wary glance.

The girl, whose name I now knew to be White, leaned toward his ear and blocked her lips with her hand, replying to him, "Some weird guy I met just now... I think he's hitting on me."

Maybe she thought I wouldn't hear her, though a hand in front of the mouth actually does very little to stop anyone from hearing what you have to say. Either way, I didn't quite understand what she was talking about so I disregarded it. "I am N," I repeated.

"Apparently he agrees with that guy that was speaking a bit ago," White said.

The boy pushed his glasses up. "Before I came over here, I witnessed six people trying to decide if they should release their Pokémon. I watched two of them actually do it, and I can't say I agree. It looked almost painful."

"It does rather hurt for the first couple of hours after you've lost your favorite toy, doesn't it?" I said. "It can't be helped. While Pokémon are confined to Poké Balls and forced to fight for human benefit, they can never live up to their full potential and become perfect beings."

"Slow down, you talk too fast," the boy said, furrowing his brows together.

I shook my head. "I don't expect you to understand. I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they are my friends." I left them with that, but when I looked back over my shoulder, my eyes met with White's. She turned away and she and the boy went in the direction of the Pokémon Center.

Even when I was back at my castle I kept remembering the way that Tepig had responded to White. If her Pokémon felt that way, then did others? Just how many?

In my lap, Zorua stirred in his sleep, lifting his head up from his paws and burying his face into my stomach. He used to be so afraid of everything. When Zorua was first brought to me, he would not leave the corner of the playroom and bit me when I tried to touch him. His heart was too tightly closed for me to talk to him.

No.

I couldn't let myself falter. I had known too many Pokémon like Zorua. That girl and her Tepig were a simple fluke. I contemplated the subject no longer.


	3. World of Uncertainties

Zorua bounded ahead of me, occasionally disappearing into tall grass and bushes only to poke his head out when I caught up and do it all over again. I liked having the little Pokémon with me when I went to places like this. He was fun to watch.

This was Pinwheel Forest, known for its abundance of bug-type Pokémon, and I was on my way to Castelia City. I found myself amazed at the fact that even after all these years, I still felt at home in this environment. Things were a lot simpler then; I was blissfully ignorant and had been content just to be around my friends. My world had changed so drastically when Ghetsis found me in that forest. He and the other sages tutored me, and told me of the injustice in the world. I was grateful to them for their guidance.

"Zorua?" I called after a while of not seeing that red-tipped tuft of hair.

No response.

A altered my course, veering off into a denser part of the forest to look for my friend. I was worried, but not panicked. Zorua was good at getting out of trouble using his illusions — but this _was_ the longest he had ever gone without checking in with me.

It wasn't long before I arrived at a small ledge overlooking a clearing to find Zorua running around down below with a Tepig. The two chased each other and rolled around in play fights when caught. I never got enough of sights like this.

It occurred to me that I had seen that Tepig before. It was the one that surprised me with what it said about that girl. Did that mean...?

White entered the scene as if on cue. Seeing her, the Tepig broke off the play session and went to her, leaving Zorua with his fur prickling up in uneasiness. "You're supposed to stay with me," she scolded mockingly.

_"Found friend!"_ the Tepig responded.

White seemed to notice Zorua for the first time just then. "Aw, look at how cute you are!" she exclaimed, approaching Zorua, who in turn flattened himself as much as he possibly could into the ground and pinned his ears back. White stopped just short and kneeled down slowly. "You're a scaredy little guy, huh? I just wanna be friends." She slowly extended her hand toward Zorua, whose fur was starting to bristle.

I knew right away where this was heading. I had seen it before. Any second now Zorua was going to lash out and bite her. Humans had done him great wrong in the past and I was the only one whom he trusted.

"Oh, hold on," White said suddenly, retracting her hand and rummaging through her bag. "I have this if you want it." She presented an Oran Berry and placed it on the ground in front of Zorua.

At first, neither of the two did anything. Then Zorua's nose began to twitch and he reached his neck out as far as it would go to get the berry. When that wasn't quite enough, his tongue snaked out and just barely managed to touch it. While this was taking place, White had her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. This worked all of ten seconds before she burst into laughter.

Zorua flinched, but it seemed to give him the courage to take the necessary step to get the Oran Berry, which he took in his mouth and immediately began to tear into. While he was busy eating he allowed White to stroke the fur along his back.

A feeling of bemusement came over me. She just did in minutes what it had taken me weeks to do — and without being bitten. I moved away from the ledge and used one of the many humongous, hollowed-out tree trunks to make my way down. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again," I said.

She jumped when I spoke, then quickly composed herself. "Oh, it's Q. You almost gave me a heart attack!" she breathed.

"My name is N." Zorua finished the last of the Oran Berry and came to me. _"Made friends,"_ he said, tail wiggling.

"So he's yours then," she went on, not acknowledging my correction. She picked up her Tepig and held it out. "This is Helba. She's the one you heard talking the other day. You can't really understand what Pokémon are saying, can you? I'm 99.9% convinced that was total B.S. you made up to get into my pants."

I didn't understand her terminology, but it sounded like she still didn't believe me. "Can I borrow Helba for a bit?"

White put Helba down so the Fire Pig Pokémon could trot curiously over to me. I crouched down and patted her on the head. "Hello, Helba. Would you mind telling me a few things about White?"

"This ought to be good," White scoffed. "Please tell me about myself, E."

"N," I corrected once again before continuing. "You're from Nuvema. Your two closest friends are Cheren and Bianca. They're from Nuvema, too. You have a brother who started his journey before you."

"I think you've actually been stalking me."

This accusation left me indignant. "What — I didn't —" How could she think I was stalking her? I certainly didn't have the time to be following anybody, much less someone I barely knew.

"God, you're so fun to mess with," she spoke up with a wry grin. "Okay, you can understand Pokémon. So are you heading to Castelia? We should go together."

White puzzled me. It was like she was the only person in the world whom I could not keep up with and I didn't particularly like that. However, I was still curious about her and her relationship with Pokémon, so I agreed to accompany her to Castelia City. She did most of the talking as we trekked.

"I really like this forest," White said, her eyes following Zorua and Helba as they frolicked. "Before I started my journey I never got to experience places like this. It's all so _different_ from Route 1. It's really great that I get to go to all these places with Helba. She's so wonderful, I couldn't do it without her."

There she went again, making me explore the possibility of people and Pokémon being equally happy together. I reminded myself that she was the fluke. "White... what is your opinion of Team Plasma?"

She made a face. "Them? I dunno..." She trailed off in thought. "Well, um, I guess they really care about Pokémon, and that's great? I just can't stand them going around like their way is superior to everyone else's. It's just that this isn't a world of absolutes and I'm sick of everyone trying to make it one, you know? We're all just doing what we _think_ is right, but nobody really knows, because it just can't be that easy. It really sucks. Everyone has this idea that 'truth' is this universal, self-evident thing that everyone can agree on. But I think... that one person's 'truth' can be different from the next guy's." She shook her head and looked over at me. "Gah, I'm not making any sense. Sorry for throwing all that at you."

"No, I... I understand what you're trying to say. That's an interesting concept you've found. It sounds like you've thought about this a great deal," I said.

White gave a slanted smile. "Yeah, I get the feeling it's really _important_ somehow, but I don't know why. Does that sound stupid?"

I shook my head. "Perhaps you are meant to do something more with this idea of yours," I answered thoughtfully.

"You know, you have a really strange way of flirting."

"Flirting?"

"Funny. Look, there's Skyarrow Bridge. We're almost at Castelia."


	4. Nimbasa

After parting ways with White at Castelia, I could not shake her response to my question even weeks later. It was not normally in my nature to doubt myself, but when I thought of what White had said to me, I could feel my resolve faltering. She had added a new factor to my intricate formula and I was no longer sure of the solution. Was truth really subjective? How could so many truths exist? The feeling of hesitance was new to me.

"Lord N?"

I lifted my head to see Anthea and Concordia, whom I cared for deeply as sisters, though we were of no blood relation. They were standing at the door to my study wearing concerned glances. "Ah, yes, is there something you need?"

Anthea smiled warmly. "No, My Lord. But maybe there is something you need? We've noticed you haven't been acting yourself lately. Please tell us what is troubling you, dear N."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "I don't feel like myself as of late," I told them. "I find myself contemplating whether or not what I am doing is really the best option, something that had not even occurred to me until I began my task."

"We have known you for some years now, but we have never known you to be uncertain. What has brought about this feeling?" Anthea asked, approaching me along with Concordia.

"I met someone, a trainer who cares for Pokémon as I do. She has a bond with her Tepig that is so strong that I can not help but rethink everything when I see them together. She got Zorua to like her in a couple of minutes. _Zorua._ What has been weighing the heaviest on my mind is what she told me when I last saw her: that the world could never be so simple as black and white, and that there are possibly as many 'truths' about a given subject as there are people in the world. If this is true, then my 'truth' is merely one of them and has no precedence over the rest. I can not accept that, yet this idea continues to plague me."

There came a deep chuckle from the doorway. Anthea and Concordia lowered their heads in reverence, stepping aside so that Ghetsis could speak to me. "Have I given you that crown of yours too soon? From what I have just heard it appears you are not fit to be king of Team Plasma, much less the savior of Pokémon."

I flinched.

"Have you forgotten all the suffering Pokémon in the world because some silly little girl filled your head with nonsense? Don't tell me you no longer want to liberate them from their anguish?"

"There is nothing I want more!" I declared vehemently. "Forgive me for allowing myself to be distracted from our goal. It will not happen again."

Ghetsis looked pleased. He turned to leave, then paused. "Remember, N, she is just another human who cannot hear the pained voices of Pokémon, no different from the rest. Also, a good king is not indecisive."

Once Ghetsis left, Concordia returned to my side. "A good king," she began, her calm gaze locked with mine, "observes with his own eyes and takes into account everything around him." With that, she and Anthea exited as well.

Alone with my thoughts once more, I mentally scolded myself for making such a mistake. Ghetsis was right. Perhaps I was not worthy of being a king, or hero, or anything. I had allowed myself to be too easily shaken. If my vision was not strong enough, then I could never liberate Pokémon. With this in mind, I reworked my formula, factoring White in. I would use her to test myself. She would become the second hero to challenge me, and whichever one of us prevailed would have the stronger ideals.

Some days later I was informed by grunts I stationed at Nimbasa that White had arrived there. By the time I arrived, she was exiting the Pokémon center with Helba — now evolved into a Pignite — in tow.

"Hello, White,"

"What up, G?"

"Will you please come with me? I need to speak with you." There are only 26 letters in the alphabet, and I was fairly certain she would get it right at some point, so I didn't bother correcting her.

She looked around. "I saw some Team Plasma people when I got here, but I couldn't see what they were up to because my Pokémon were tired. I was just about to go look for them."

"Don't worry about them, they're probably long gone," I assured her. "And besides, what I have to say is really important."

"Um, I think... I should go after the Plasma guys."

"You could spot them better from the Ferris wheel."

"That's okay, I'm good down here."

"Please, I have something important to tell you. It won't be long."

"No."

I exhaled frustratedly. What I was trying to talk to her about wasn't something that should be said out where everyone could hear. I needed to talk to her alone, but she didn't want to cooperate. "Why won't you just ride the Ferris wheel with me?"

"I like you and all, but — no offense — I don't really know you. You could be planning to grope me or something. It happens all the time; some weirdo makes a seemingly harmless request for an unsuspecting girl to follow him, and she thinks, 'What bad could come of it?' and the next thing she knows he's feelin' all up on her with no one around to help."

My face went no doubt quite visibly red and I stuttered a reply. "N-no I wouldn't do that. I just— I want to t-talk." I felt like a complete and utter imbecile, standing there and tripping over words. She had me effectively flustered— another foreign sensation that I was not fond of. I needed to rework my formula again. This suddenly seemed like a spectacularly atrocious idea.

She giggled into her hand. I could have been wrong, but it seemed like she enjoyed doing this to me. "I'll go with you 'cause you're cute," she smirked, leading the way to the Ferris wheel.

I was... cute? Was that a compliment people bestowed to one another? I had only ever thought of the word in relation to Pokémon. How did it apply to me?

Because the line to the Rondez-View Ferris wheel was meager compared to the other rides in the Nimbasa City amusement park, it was almost no time before we were climbing into the Poké Ball themed car. White didn't seem at all concerned with me taking advantage of her anymore, but I made it a point to sit as far away from her as possible, my shoulder pressed up against the cold metal of the ride. She sat opposite me to the far left. As we waited for the ride to push off, I wondered if this was what it was like for Pokémon when they were imprisoned in Poké Balls. The idea that this Ferris wheel could be some cruel joke bothered me a little.

The car lurched suddenly, signaling that we were lifting off. A silence hung in the air until I spoke. "I love Ferris wheels. The circular motion… the mechanics… they're like collections of elegant formulas."

Across the car, White smiled. "I just think it's cool being up so high. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

"First, I must tell you... I am the king of Team Plasma." I saw no reason not to be direct. Her only response was a blink, so I continued. "Ghetsis asked me to work with him to save Pokémon. I could not refuse. Every time I think about how many of them are hurting in the world, I know it is my calling to help them. I hope you understand. Humans and Pokémon _will _be separated. It pains me to think about trainers that have bonds such as yours with their Pokémon when it happens, but it can not be helped."

"Wait a minute," White spoke up. "You're a king? So you have like, a crown and everything?" she asked, looking at me with wide, incredulous eyes.

Had she been listening to anything I said after the fact that I was king of Team Plasma? "I do, but that's beside the point," I answered, irritated.

"Wow, I'd have never guessed in a million years that I would be friends with a king."

I was about to reiterate the whole point of the conversation, but stopped myself, thinking that I heard wrong. "We're... friends?"

White gave me a look that read "of course" like it was extremely obvious. "We may see differently, but I don't see why we can't be friends. You can't seem to stay away from me, anyhow."

I now had my first human friend. It felt strange. I had dissociated myself from humans long ago. At the same time it felt... nice for some reason I could not explain. I just told her that I would separate her from her Pokémon and she wanted to be friends. What type of person was White, exactly?

The Ferris wheel car shook once again. The ride was over. White stood and moved to get out. "Just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm not going to fight like hell to stay with Helba and my other Pokémon."

"I expected no less," I said, stepping out after her. Around us, other amusement park attractions had just set up, meaning it was getting late. The colorful lights adorned by various different stalls attracted people like moths. "Goodbye, White. I've said what I came here to s—"

"Oh, no you don't," she interrupted, linking her arm in mine. "You can't just drop all of that on me and leave."

My body stiffened and I froze mid-step. To say I didn't like people touching me was an understatement. I was completely unaccustomed to physical contact with other humans.

She must have noticed, because she quickly removed her arm, taking a step away from me. "Sorry."

I took a deep breath, my muscles relaxing again. "What do you want?"

She was a bit more hesitant than moments before when she replied. "Do you want to enjoy more of the amusement park while we're here?" she offered.

Nothing there interested me, really, but since she had ridden with me on the Ferris wheel I was obliged to comply. "Where do you want to go?"

"Let's walk around and see."

White lead the way through the vendors and attractions, her eyes searching for what she wanted to try. Maybe it was coincidence, but it looked like she was purposely taking paths that were less crowded. Was she doing that for me because I didn't like to be touched?

We passed a man standing next to a large cylindrical glass container filled with Poké Balls. "Guess how many Poké Balls are in here and get a prize!" he shouted into a megaphone. "If you're lucky, you may just guess right! You get one guess! The first guess within 10 of the correct answer wins the grand prize!"

"3,130," I said out loud to no one in particular.

White halted and glanced at me before asking, "Did you say something?"

"There are 3,130 Poké Balls in that container," I repeated, gesturing to the stall where the man was shouting. White had walked past it without a second glance.

"Where'd you get that guess from? Is that the number of servants you have or something?" she asked, looking at me quizzically.

I was offended. "It is not a _guess_. Guesses are for people who don't know what they are talking about. I am fairly confident that there are around 3,130."

"How are you so sure?"

"The standard diameter of a regular Poké Ball is eight centimeters. Divide that by 2 to get the radius, 4 centimeters. The volume formula for a sphere is 4/3 pi multiplied by radius cubed, giving me approximately 268 centimeters cubed. I estimate the diameter of the container to be roughly 90 centimeters, so divide by two to get a radius of 45. Height looks to be near 300 centimeters. After plugging that into the volume formula for cylinders, the volume comes to 1,908,518 centimeters cubed when rounded to the nearest whole number. The container is about half full, so divide that by 2 to get 954,259. Ideally, dividing 268 into this number would give you the number of Poké Balls, but in this case, we are dealing with spherical objects in a cylindrical container, meaning that by the nature of these geometric shapes, there are spaces in there that would be unaccounted for. Without worrying about those spaces, the answer is 3,561 Poké Balls. This is the closest I came to _guessing_ when I got my answer: The actual number is going to somewhat less than that. Because the Poké Balls were spilled in there haphazardly, the size of the empty spaces would vary too greatly for pin-point accuracy. So if I subtract random possible space sizes, I get 3,130." I took a breath. "It's really simple."

The whole time I had been explaining, White listened in disbelief. "No way! That's crazy. Go tell the man your answer," she urged.

I did as she requested and the man stared up at me, astonished. "There are 3,124. You win! Here I was thinking I would surely get to keep my grand prize. How did you ever guess?"

There was that word again. "I didn't guess, I_ estimated_," I corrected. I started to explain the process for the second time, but the man shoved a large stuffed Pokémon in my direction before I got that far into it and turned his back to me to set up the next round. The prize was an over-sized Pikachu, a Pokémon that was not native to Unova. I was not interested in it in the slightest. I preferred real Pokémon.

White stood next to me, smiling. "I didn't understand most of how you did it, but you really won. Good job," she congratulated. "And your prize is really cute, too."

"You think so?" I looked down at the plush. "Why don't you keep it, then?"

She looked surprised as I handed the Pikachu to her. "Thank you, J!" she said happily, squeezing it tightly.

I almost felt a tinge of satisfaction about letting her have my prize. _Almost._

The two of us walked around to a few more stalls, though I didn't try anything else at the risk of getting more silly toys. We had just got to the food vendors when White announced that her legs hurt.

Pointing to an empty bench, she said, "I'll save us seats while you go over there and buy us cotton candy." She was already walking to sit down before I could question why I had to buy something for her.

It wasn't like it would hurt my plentiful funds, so I dropped it and went to the vendor. "Two, please," I said to the man, holding out the correct amount of currency according to the sign. My money was taken and the vendor started to prepare the candy to give.

He finished the first one, which was blue, and handed it to me before starting the next. "Is that your girlfriend?" he asked, nodding toward White who was sitting on the bench, having brought Helba out. She was showing the Pikachu plush to her Pokémon.

"Yes," I replied, finding it strange that he would ask that question.

The man grinned, extending a stick of pink cotton candy out to me. "This one's on me," he said, returning the money for White's candy. He waved me off. "Have fun."

I returned to White not entirely sure what the exchange with the cotton candy vendor had been about. Why had he given me merchandise for free when I told him White was my friend? He would lose a lot of money if he did that often.

The next fifteen minutes were spent eating cotton candy. It was my first time trying some, so at first the sweetness and texture came as a shock. After that, I would say that I liked cotton candy.

"Well, tonight was fun," White spoke, looking at me while she embraced the Pikachu plush in her lap. "I'm going to let you go, but not before one more thing. Come on," she said.

White took me to a photo booth. I was incredibly wary of getting in. "Why do you need a picture?"

"So we can remember today."

"Do you have short term memory loss?"

"Dude, shut up and get in the booth."

I relented, moving the curtain aside and taking a seat. White joined me a second later, placing the plush between us, possibly because she remembered my reaction last time we made physical contact. She began messing with the touchscreen in front of us, and a countdown started. White pulled back the corners of her mouth with her fingers and widened her eyes just as the first flash came while I watched her, perplexed. She made different faces as the camera flashed several more times. "This is the last one, look at the camera," she said. It didn't look like she was going to make another face, so I focused on the circular lens with the sign that said "LOOK HERE" over it.

Another countdown started as both White and I stared into the camera. Three... two... one... Just before the flash at zero, White leaned over suddenly and planted a surprise kiss on my cheek.


	5. In Which White Has an Epiphany

It was after our encounter in Nimbasa that I began to notice that White was what many would commonly refer to as "pretty." This trivial observation was of no real importance to me, as it had nothing to do with our opposing ideals.

For the sake of being able to find her quickly, I ordered a group of grunts to take turns following White discretely as she progressed in her journey. This was not synonymous by legal definition with stalking, as she had accused me of before, because my grunts and I had no ill intent. I had looked it up to be sure.

Ghetsis seemed pleased that I no longer acted concerned with the fluke, though I had not informed him of the alteration in my formula and did not plan to do so, because I knew he would reject it without a second thought. With each passing day it seemed I became more aware of how different my father and I were, though we had a common goal. Ghetsis and the other sages had started holding frequent meetings without my being told. This, I found peculiar. What meeting-worthy issues would best be discussed without their king?

I needed to meet with White again. My grunts had reported to me that she is now in possession of the Dark Stone, which, if in the right hands, could mean the reawakening of the legendary dragon's dormant half. If she managed to get the dragon to respond, then the feeling I had was correct. Soon I would be confronting Reshiram. If the Vast White were to unite with me, I was sure that Unova would heed my order to release it's Pokémon after I proved myself by defeating the champion. At that point the only person that could challenge me would be the opposite hero.

When Zorua caught on that I was going to see White, he got so excited that I had no choice but to bring him along to Mistralton City, where I had been informed she was training for her next gym battle. We waited for her at the start of Route 7. Zorua was first to notice her approach, his large pointed ears detecting familiar footsteps. With all the strength his short legs could muster, he took a running leap into her arms. _"White!"_

"Cutie!" squealed White enthusiastically while squeezing Zorua. As she said this, she looked up at me. "And King M," she added, less enthusiastically.

"Good evening," I curtly responded. "Can I have a word with you?"

White set Zorua on the ground, looking dejected. "Last time you wanted to talk you told me you would take my Pokémon away. Besides, I was just about to head to my house in Nuvema. I promised my mom I would visit her today. Also, Sawsbuck slipped in some mud because of that freakish weather on Route 7 and needs cleaning up."

"I can talk with you at a later time, then," I offered.

A dramatically loud groan escaped her mouth and she threw back her head. "Just come with me and help with Sawsbuck. You can say whatever you want to say afterwards."

I was reluctant to go with White to her home, but nevertheless we flew to Nuvema, her on the back of her Braviary and I on an Unfezant that I befriended on Route 7. This was my first time visiting Nuvema, as I had skipped it at the start of my exploration of Unova. It was a very small, quiet town overlooking the ocean. The late evening sun bathed our surroundings in an orange light. The little town possessed a serene quality that to me made Nuvema seem like it's own separate world, completely independent from whatever may be going on elsewhere in Unova. It was somehow unfitting for a person such as White to reside here.

She knocked on the door of a two-story house on the east part of town. No sooner than she had, did it swing open and she was immediately enveloped in the arms of a woman that was without a doubt her mother. They had the same deep blue eyes and wavy brown hair.

"White, you should really come home more often! I'm starting to get lonely. Your brother almost never stops by, either..." White's mother caught sight of me standing a respectful distance away.

"Mom, that's L. He's a friend of mine — just a friend," she explained, adding that last part quickly. "He's going to help me give Sawsbuck a bath. He kind of slipped in mud. And when I say slipped, I don't mean the 'fall-and-get-back-up' kind. It was more like some mud-dance 'why-can't-I-get-a-foothold-oh-God-I'm-not-okay' chain of slipping. So Sawsbuck is basically covered in mud."

"Nice to meet you, L."

"Nice to meet you, too," I returned, looking sideways awkwardly. "My name is actually N."

"I see..." she turned to her daughter and gave her a flick on the forehead.

White and I went around to the back of the house to use the watering hose. "That's right, you haven't met Sawsbuck yet, have you?" she asked, Poké Ball in hand. Then she pressed the trigger mechanism and a Sawsbuck in its spring form exited the capsule, covered head-to-hoof in mud. White approached the Pokémon with a hug around the neck, not concerned in the slightest with the mud that rubbed off onto her clothes. "I found this guy on Route 6 as a Deerling. He frolicked right up to me without fear and he was just so adorable I had to bring him with me. I think he's kind of happy-go-lucky, but hey, I'm no Pokéwhisperer."

While White busied herself with untangling the hose, I applied soapy water to the mud-covered Pokémon with a sponge. As I did so, Sawsbuck began to speak to me in a rapid-fire manner. _"Who are you? Are you friend? I like you! Hair is like grass."_ Sawsbuck extended his neck and took a clump of my hair into his mouth. I gently pushed his head away. "You don't want to eat that," I said, a smile finding its way onto my face. Then, the sensation of being watched drew my eyes to White, who had taken a seat on the ground next to the hose and was staring in my direction. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied simply, standing up. "Unless you wanna get wet, move out of the way so I can rinse him off."

I stood next to White as she sprayed the hose on Sawsbuck, who turned his body obligingly so the water could reach more places. "White," I said, watching Sawsbuck."Why did you need help with this?"

"Did you not want to help?"

"That's not what I mean. I offered to talk to you another time, and you could have done this by yourself almost just as easily." I mentioned this because she hadn't exactly given the impression that she was in the mood to talk earlier.

"Maybe I wanted to do it with you."

"... Why?"

"You know for a smart guy, you really are clueless. It's because we're friends, of course. Friends help each other and it's a lot funner to do things that way," she said, aiming the water at Sawsbuck's hooves, where the mud was caked the most.

After White had made our friendship official on the Ferris wheel, I had become curious of what human friendship entailed. So doing things with someone you considered a friend was more enjoyable? Human friendship had always seemed to me more like a relationship of convenience, whereas friendship with Pokémon was as easy as giving them food and playing with them. "So... we're like friends... with benefits?"

The next thing I knew, I had pressured, lukewarm water blasting into my face. Before I could fully register what was happening, I was completely soaked. I blocked my face with one arm so I could spurt out White's name along with some water.

She stopped spraying the hose. "Oh wow, sorry, I must have missed," she said innocently while rivulets of water still ran down from my body onto the ground.

I did not know what an appropriate reaction would be. I was not standing _in the general direction_ of Sawsbuck. I shut my eyes. I wasn't going to get angry. If I got angry, then I wouldn't be able to accomplish what I came here to do.

White threw the hose down and turned it off. "Come on, let's get you dried off," she offered, with a gesture for me to follow her. "And you can tell me that thing."

I trodded grudgingly behind White to the front door of her house and waited while she disappeared inside to get a towel. Sawsbuck wandered over to me and watched silently. I probably looked really agitated. I softened my expression. "Come here," I called, holding out my hand. Sawsbuck approached obediently. "What drew you to White?" I inquired with the question that had been playing on my mind since White told me of their first encounter.

Sawsbuck's tail twitched back and forth happily in response to my question as he answered without hesitation, _"Wanted to be her family."_

"Mom says to come inside before you catch a cold," said White, returning with a bundle in her arms. She passed a towel to me. "She'll dry your clothes for you. In the meantime, you can wear some of the clothes my brother left around."

"I should go back to my own home and take care of it."

"It's really okay. I think my mom gets some kind of sick thrill out of doing laundry."

I walked out of the bathroom wearing blue jeans and a black shirt that read "where da females " in plain white print. The only reason I had not left was because I still had not gotten an opportunity to talk to White. I had no idea what to do with myself after her mother took my wet clothes, so I took a seat on the living room couch. White's house was so... _plain._ I didn't know what I was expecting exactly, but it wasn't this. Just like Nuvema, this house was not very "White" at all.

There was knocking on the front door. I froze, debating whether or not I had the right to open it, but was spared from the decision when White descended the stairs dressed in what I assumed were her pajamas: shorts with a Poké Ball pattern and a tank top. Her hair was down in contrast to her usual ponytail; I had never thought to consider before how long her hair really was. The sight was bizarre to me. I had never seen White without her trainer gear and outfit.

She opened the door to greet a blond-haired girl and a familiar spectacled boy whom I recalled from when I first met White in Accumula. He caught sight of me and looked alarmed. "What is _he_ doing in your house?" the boy asked outright.

"You can calm down, Cheren, we're not up to anything. My mom's here, you know," White said, making a face.

"That _would_ be your only reason not to be up to something, wouldn't it?" Cheren replied with a playful tone to his voice.

The corners of White's lips turned up in a smile. "Are you perhaps implying that I am in the habit of promiscuity? I got him with the hose on accident and he's hangin' here until my mom finishes drying his clothes."

The blonde cut in. "Are you sure it was on accident?" she teased.

I stopped listening to the words they were saying and instead focused on the interaction itself. Something like envy blossomed within me; those two could communicate with White so flawlessly — so _naturally._ They were completely comfortable around each other. Compared to the two of them, I was unsatisfactory as a friend. Unfortunately, people were many times harder for me to read than Pokémon; and White more than most.

The sound of the door closing pulled me from my thoughts. White plopped down next to me on the sofa. Her friends were nowhere in sight.

Confused, I asked, "Weren't you going to spend time with them?"

"I can hang out with those losers any time," she said with a wave of her hand. "Didn't you need to tell me something, anyway?"

I nodded.

"Let's go up to my room, then."

As we cleared the stairs and neared her room, something seriously wrong caught my eye. My pace slowed to a stop. There, sitting on the floor and holding the door to White's room open, was the Dark Stone. A doorstop. She was using the mythical dragon who helped shape the region of Unova as a _doorstop_. I snatched the Dark Stone up when I stepped into White's room. "Do you know what this is?" I asked, presenting the Dark Stone to her.

"It's a rock."

I clenched my teeth. So she didn't know. I calmly and carefully explained to her the significance of the stone.

White spoke up as soon as I was finished. "Lenora said something like that, too, but I didn't really get it because I'm pretty sure that there is a rock."

I hadn't gone there to not be taken seriously. I closed the distance between us and looked her straight in the eye, fixing her with my most solemn expression. "Keep this on your person at all times. You staying with your Pokémon depends on whether or not you will be able to awaken this dragon in the right instance."

With this method I surely got my point across. I saw her deflate. She diverted her eyes from mine in a way that to me looked like she was upset. I wordlessly held the the Dark Stone out and she took it before turning her back to me and taking a seat at her desk. "Whatever. I'll just keep it with me," she grumbled.

My words must have upset White. It was her own fault I had to resort to that. I was attempting to _help_ her and she took it as a joke. If she couldn't handle the facts of the situation, then it was not my problem. I returned to the couch downstairs without another word to her.

I would have liked to keep considering myself blameless, but the longer I sat and thought about what I said, the more guilt gnawed at my conscience. I knew first-hand of the strong bond White shared with her Pokémon. Though the message I was trying to convey was appropriate, my choice of words may not have been. Did White regret having me as a friend? I would be lying if I said the thought didn't bring a pang with it.

There was the thumping of footsteps as White came down the steps and walked behind me and the couch I was sitting on to another room. She didn't so much as look at me, so I wondered if she was still upset. She reappeared once more, going right for the stairs with her back turned to me.

"Ah, White," I addressed, looking to apologize.

As soon as I spoke her name, she sped up, skipping steps to hasten the climb back to her room.

For every bit of skill I had with communicating with Pokémon, I really was lacking when it came to people.

White's mother gave my newly-dried clothes back shortly after, but while I was changing, I noticed the white overshirt I had been wearing was missing. "Excuse me, but there was another shirt that you didn't give to me," I informed White's mother.

"Oh yes, there was! But the dryer's empty..." Just then, her face lit up as if something had just occurred to her. "Better go see if White has it. That girl does the strangest things. She didn't get it from me, that's for sure."

Suddenly, it made sense. White moved up the stairs faster when I called her name because she had taken my shirt. Her actions worked at my rational and calculating mind. Why would she take my shirt? Because she was angry? _Was that something people did?_ These thoughts replayed in the back of my mind as I knocked on White's door.

"Come in," came her voice from the other side of the door.

She didn't sound angry, but with White I couldn't be sure. Pushing the door open, I was met with my missing shirt — on White's body. "That's my— Why are you—..." I forced myself to slow down and stop talking until I could form a coherent sentence. "What are you _doing_?"

She gave me the look of a person who knew something that the person she was addressing did not. "You're really strange," she said, tilting her head to the side as she looked at me.

"You're wearing my shirt for no apparent reason and _I'm_ the strange one?" I retorted.

"I was just thinking that even though we're supposed to be friends, I don't really know that much about you. I don't know how to describe it but you seem kind of... innocent, I guess? I thought you were messing with me at first. So then I decided to heed some old words of wisdom: You don't know a person until you've walked a mile in their shirt."

"... You got the saying wrong."

"Nu-uh."

"Shoes. You don't know a person until you've walked a mile in their _shoes_."

"Can I borrow your shoes, then?"

"Give me my shirt back."

"But I haven't walked a mile yet."

This conversation was getting ridiculous, so I switched tactics, attempting to pull the shirt from her. She resisted, pulling back with her weight.

"I wouldn't," White warned.

I had no idea what she meant until the top two shirt buttons popped undone and it became blatantly obvious that she was not wearing anything underneath. I jumped away from her, my face the proverbial flame, burning with all the same intensity. "Keep it," I told her, turning around to leave. This however, was a massive failure. In my flustered state, I had misjudged the location of the door in relation to myself and ended up colliding with the wall next to it. I froze like that, my head pressed against the wall of White's room. A silence that seemed longer than it was in reality followed.

"You... missed the door," White spoke up.

My shoulders drooped as I exhaled a sigh. "Yeah, I did."

I heard muffled chuckling behind me.

"White, I'm sorry," I said with my forehead still against the wall.

"It's really alright," she replied reassuringly. "I really don't think you saw all that much!"

"No, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It was unnecessary and I was being impatient. I... don't have any experience dealing with people on a friendly level." I wasn't sure why I felt like telling her that last part; it spilled out on its own accord.

There was a pause before she responded, and I began to suspect the worst. "I barely even remembered that. Don't worry about it."

I turned back around to face White with a feeling of relief that surprised even me. I still had a human friend, after all.

That evening I left Nuvema with one less shirt than I had arrived with. Despite everything that I was and all the things I had been though, I still maintained the belief that White was by far stranger than myself. It was her peculiarity that piqued my interest in her, however, so maybe that wasn't a bad thing.


End file.
